It is a decisive day today—November 3 marked the 59th presidential elections of the United States. The world watches with bated breath as it waits to see whether the shock of the century, the election of President Donald Trump, will see an extension.
The global community is on alert—a presidential election in the United States impacts all countries. The polls so far predict a Democratic victory but if 2016 has taught us anything, it is that polls can be faulty. Things do seem tumultuous for Trump—the pandemic has undone many of the initial economic successes his regime had seen. On the international relations front, Trump’s unpredictability has been a liability—he has withdrawn from several international treaties unilaterally, escalated tensions with Iran, and has almost seen the end of the Afghan war, but there too there are doubts about what the US is truly leaving behind after its unceremonious exit. Yet even the presidential election is not the biggest worry for the world—what comes after could also be controversial. The US has never been this fractured before—for the good of the country and the world at large, it is hoped that the democratic process is accepted by all.
What is the better outcome for Pakistan? US policy towards Pakistan has tended to remain the same usually, irrespective of the party in power. While Republicans have normally been more welcomed, this time President Trump has proved unpopular in Islamabad. While his contribution towards the Afghan peace process has been appreciated, his antagonising Pakistan’s efforts in tweets, his closeness to Indian Premier Modi, and his comments against Muslims in the US has made him a difficult president to gauge by Pakistan.
Irrespective of the election, Pakistan’s priorities must remain the Afghan peace process, and CPEC. To focus on these, it requires newer, more improved relations with the US, whether the President be Biden or Trump.